The Inciting Incident

This week, Tim sits down with transformational teacher and intuitive channel Christy Whitman for a conversation that moves from corporate burnout to quantum flow to the moment she realized she could literally channel higher consciousness. Christy unpacks the inciting incidents that cracked her open: the emptiness beneath early career success, a cross-country move that dismantled her life, and the meditation teacher who introduced her to the truth that changed everything. Tim and Christy dive into energy mastery, abundance, spiritual awakening, and what it actually feels like to receive guidance from beyond the physical. The Council even comes through to answer Tim's big questions directly.   Connect with Christy: Website: christyandthecouncil.com Website: watchyourwords.com Instagram: @christywhitman1 YouTube: @ChristyWhitmanCouncil Facebook: Christy Whitman International Inc.

This week, Tim sits down with cognitive neuropsychologist and author Chris Niebauer, PhD, for a mind-bending conversation about consciousness, the illusion of the self, and why so many of us are trapped inside the stories our minds keep telling. Drawing from Chris's work at the intersection of neuroscience, Eastern philosophy, and the mechanics of thought itself, Tim and Chris explore the left vs. right hemisphere divide, the cultural conditioning that shapes how we experience reality, and the surprising truth about why thinking may actually be our biggest obstacle to happiness.   Connect with Chris: Website: chrisniebauerphd.com YouTube: Chris Niebauer, Ph.D. Book: No Self, No Problem  

In this episode of The Inciting Incident, Tim sits down with visionary entrepreneur, author, and conscious leadership coach Mandy Cavanaugh Steubing, a woman whose life bridges business, spirituality, and human potential. Together they trace the improbable series of events that led them to meet, co-create during lockdown, and explore how language itself can become a diagnostic tool for consciousness. They talk about thought forms, trusting life, the invisible grid that connects us all, and how the words we use literally shape the worlds we live in. This conversation is a deep dive into what it means to lead, love, and live from a higher state of awareness.   Connect with Mandy: Instagram: @mandycavanaugh LinkedIn: Mandy Cavanaugh Steubing Facebook: Mandy Cavanaugh

This week, Tim sits down with Dr. Victoria Shaw, Princeton- and Columbia-trained cognitive psychologist turned intuitive counselor and spiritual guide. Dr. Shaw shares the moment her intellect met her intuition, how parenting cracked her open, and why the most meaningful transformations don't come from control, but surrender.   We explore intuition as a muscle, the difference between surrender and giving up, and the moment you realize your inner voice has been guiding you all along. Connect with Victoria: Website: victoriashawintuitive.com Podcast: Intuitive Connection Show: Living in Alignment Instagram: @victoriashawintuitive  

When two women from opposite worlds — a police officer turned "Brain Trainer" and a corporate executive turned "Friendly Toxin Slayer" — crossed paths, something ancient was reborn. Together, Billy Aadmi and Melissa Deally founded Amplify Impact Academy, a school for mastering the mind, body, and spirit through Timeline Therapy, NLP, and quantum transformation. In this conversation, Tim Shields explores how trauma, conditioning, and hidden emotions silently shape our lives — and how they can be released in minutes, not years. From cancer healed through consciousness, to past-life purpose rediscovered, to the universal wound of not being enough, this episode moves through science, spirit, and the stories that make us human. It's a journey through the layers of the unconscious, a challenge to the mental health system as we know it, and a reminder that awakening isn't just mystical — it's practical.   Connect with Melissa & Billie at Amplift Impact Academy: https://amplifyimpactacademy.com/quantum-life-mastery-school https://amplifyimpactacademy.com fb: amplifyimpactacademy Insta: amplifyimpactacademy LI: amplifyimpactacademy Youtube: amplifyimpactacademy   Melissa: fb: https://www.facebook.com/melissa.deally LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissadeally/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/guidedhealthjourney/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/MelissaDeally Billie: fb: https://www.facebook.com/billie.aad LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/billie-aadmi-54063521/ Insta: https://www.instagram.com/billie.irei/ Tik Tok: @gomindspire  

When the systems he helped build no longer made sense, Forrest Wilson walked away from money, success, and certainty straight into awakening.  In this episode, Tim and Forrest trace his journey from the ache of success without purpose to a full-body awakening in the jungles of Thailand, and ultimately to the creation of Luminous Labs, where consciousness meets business, leadership, and collective evolution. They explore what it means to truly follow the felt path, embrace the not knowing, and why our systems of money, health, and power are all ready to evolve. This is a story about dying to the old world so a new one can emerge.   Connect with Forrest: Website: forrestbwilson.com Website: joinluminouslabs.com Podcast: The Forrest Wilson Experience Podcast: Luminous by Nature The Stages of Consciousness of Radiant Organizations  

This week, Tim sits down with Sebastian Schelper, CEO and founder of bq.Capital and former BMW strategist, to explore what it really means to lead and live with consciousness. From losing his father at age twelve to leading global innovation at BMW, Sebastian's journey reveals how tragedy, drive, and awakening can coexist in one life. Together, they explore how consciousness can become a competitive advantage, not just for leaders, but for the soul of business itself. Sebastian explains his framework, The Energy Cube, and how love, fear, and awareness shape the way we lead, create, and connect.   Connect with Sebastian: LinkedIn: Sebastian Schelper Article: How to Win in a Competitive Marketplace Live: Attract Raving Fans & WIN!

Every once in a while, life cracks open in a way that makes you question everything. What's real, what matters, and who you actually are beneath the story you've been telling yourself. For Garrett Stevens, President of Hemi-Sync, that crack came at the height of his success on Wall Street, and it led him somewhere he never expected: into the frontier of consciousness itself.   In this episode, Tim and Garrett dive deep into the nature of consciousness, out-of-body experiences, and what it means to follow the quiet ache of the soul when the world tells you to do otherwise. It's a conversation about letting go of the illusion of control, listening to the signals that come from within, and finding freedom on the pathless path.   Connect with Garrett: Podcast: Focusing In Website: hemi-sync.com Instagram: @hemisynclife YouTube: @Hemi-Sync

What if UFOs, consciousness, and creativity are all connected? In this mind-expanding conversation, Alan Steinfeld—author of Making Contact and host of the long-running series New Realities—shares his decades of exploration into human potential, spirituality, and the mysteries of extraterrestrial contact.   Alan recounts the pivotal "inciting incidents" that shifted his life: a mystical awakening that showed him consciousness is more than the body, and an unexplainable UFO encounter that sent him down a lifelong rabbit hole of discovery. Alongside host Tim Shields, he unpacks the deeper meaning of disclosure, why our minds are more powerful than we've been taught, and how stepping into the unknown awakens true human potential.   Themes we explore:   Why disclosure is really about human consciousness, not just aliens   How remote viewing and non-local awareness connect us to the quantum field   The creative process as a direct channel to the infinite   This episode will leave you questioning reality—and inspired to explore your own untapped potential.   ✨ Connect with Alan Steinfeld: Instagram: @newrealities   Website: https://www.newrealities.com   🎙 Host: Tim Shields Instagram: @timshieldswriter   Website: https://www.therealtimshields.com  

From the chaos of the late '90s nu metal scene to the quiet clarity of meditation in Joshua Tree, Wes Geer has lived through extremes most of us only read about. As a founding member of Hed PE and later guitarist for Korn, Wes was immersed in the excess of rock stardom. But his real story begins when it all fell apart.   In this episode, Wes opens up about the breaking point that pushed him into recovery and how that path led to founding Rock to Recovery, a nonprofit that uses music as medicine for people battling addiction, trauma, and even wounded warriors. We talk about core wounds, spiritual awakenings, plant medicine, the role of creativity in healing, and why the darkest chapters often hold the keys to transformation. Connect with Wes: Instagram: @wesgeer Rock To Recovery: rocktorecovery.org BandJAM!: bandjam.co  

What does it mean to live a life led by creativity? In this episode of The Inciting Incident, I sit down with Sam Bennett, author, teacher, actor, and lifelong artist, to explore the pathless path of art, trust, and surrender. From her early years producing kindergarten plays to performing improv alongside future comedy greats, Sam has lived at the intersection of discipline and discovery.  This is a conversation about uncertainty as a doorway, about showing up for the muse even when the page is blank, and about holding our work lightly while trusting the deeper process at play. Sam's story is not just about acting or writing. It's about answering the question that underlies all art and all life: Who am I, and how will I choose to express that in the world?   Connect with Sam: Website: therealsambennett.com Instagram: @therealsambennett LinkedIn: Samantha Bennett Book: The 15-Minute Method

Katie Mares grew up fast, navigating challenges at home that most teenagers never face. Later, she found herself repeating cycles she swore she'd escape…until a single moment forced her to choose a different path. In this episode, Katie shares the pivotal lessons that carried her from survival to self-discovery, and how faith, awareness, and daily practices of gratitude helped her rebuild. Today, she brings that wisdom to audiences and organizations around the world, showing what it means to transform both personally and collectively. This is a story about breaking patterns, leaning into possibility, and finding freedom in surrender.   Connect with Katie: Website: katiemares.com Instagram: @katiemares LinkedIn: Katie Mares Facebook: Katie Mares

What happens when the pursuit of success costs you your health, identity, and soul? In this episode, I sit down with Erin Coupe, a former Goldman Sachs and CBRE executive who walked away from the high-stakes corporate grind after a breaking point of stress, illness, and inner turmoil. Erin shares her journey from chasing the "safe path" to experiencing a profound awakening that rerouted her life toward neuroscience, quantum mechanics, and spiritual practice. From fainting on an airplane en route to Bali, to rediscovering her voice through ritual and inner work, Erin reveals how she transformed her life from burnout to purpose and now helps leaders do the same. This is a conversation about authenticity, breaking free of programming, and the power of asking, "What's the point of all this?"   Connect with Erin: Website: erincoupe.com Instagram: @authenticallyec LinkedIn: Erin Coupe YouTube: @erincoupe  

What if the foods you eat could reprogram your body, mind, and future? 🌱 In this episode of Unlocking Our Higher Consciousness, host Tim Shields sits down with international thought leader and wellness pioneer Teri Cochrane. As the creator of The Cochrane Method and founder of the Global Sustainable Health Institute, Teri has guided world-class performers, changemakers, and everyday people to unlock their highest potential through food, genetics, and epigenetics. Together, Tim and Teri explore: How food can act as both medicine and information for your cells The hidden connections between nutrition, energy, and consciousness Practical steps to create sustainable health in a chaotic world This conversation will inspire you to rethink what's on your plate—and how it shapes who you are becoming. Tune in and discover the power already within you. Connect with Teri Cochrane: Instagram: @tericochranebeyondnutrition Website: tericochrane.com Connect with Tim Shields: Instagram: @therealtimshieldsWebsite: timshields.com

At 17, Jenna Phillips Ballard lay awake at night wishing she could watch her own funeral. A year later, she fell 14 feet through a hayloft, landed on concrete, and slipped into a coma. What should have been the end became the beginning, a second lease on life, a discovery of resilience, and eventually a mission to awaken greatness in others. From training Ben Stiller and Katy Perry, to working in African villages and founding the Ascension Leadership Academy, Jenna has lived at the intersection of near-death and radical rebirth. In this episode, we dive into the unhealed masculine and feminine, how emotional intelligence reshapes leadership, and what it really means to awaken to your higher self in everyday life. Connect with Jenna: Website: jennaphillipsballard.com Instagram: @jennaphillipsballard Facebook: Jenna Phillips Ballard YouTube: @JennaPhillipsBallard  

When life throws curveballs, do you let circumstances dictate your story, or do you write your own outcome? Michele Phillips, aka "The Light Lady," has spent 25 years coaching Fortune 500 leaders and teams to rewire their habits, elevate their mindset, and lead from the heart. Her approach blends neuroscience, positive psychology, and a healthy dose of lived wisdom.    In this episode, Michele shares her "ladder up" technique for shifting emotions, the truth about optimism, and how journaling, micro-moments of magic, and naming your inner critic can transform your life. Connect with Michele: Website: key2unlock.com LinkedIn: Michele Phillips Instagram: @keyperformance Podcast: Write Your Outcome Book: Happiness is a Habit

One split-second accident could have ended his career. Instead, Def Leppard drummer Rick Allen transformed unimaginable loss into a life of music, art, and service. In this powerful conversation, Rick opens up about his journey from teenage rock prodigy to surviving a devastating car crash that claimed his left arm — and the rebirth that followed. He shares how resilience, creativity, and community helped him not only relearn the drums but also discover a deeper calling to serve veterans, trauma survivors, and first responders through his Raven Drum Foundation. Themes we explore: Turning trauma into transformation The spiritual and mental rewiring of recovery Why service is the key to healing yourself and others Rick's story is a living example of the hero's journey — proving that life's hardest hits can forge your greatest strengths. Guest Links: Raven Drum Foundation → https://ravendrumfoundation.org Rick Allen Instagram → https://instagram.com/rickallenlive Host Links: The Inciting Incident (Instagram) → https://instagram.com/theincitingincidentpod Tim Shields → https://timshields.com  

Lauren Monroe's journey began in a Queens, New York, Catholic household filled with folk songs, transcendental meditation, and whispered wisdom from the unseen. By age six, she was channeling mystical experiences into song and hands-on healing long before she had words for what she was doing. In this conversation, Lauren and I travel through the sacred and the human: the heartbreak of childhood isolation, the dark night of the teenage soul, the awakening through dance and parapsychology, and the courage it took to merge her musical career with her calling as a healer. We explore what it means to overcome yourself, live on mission, and translate the whispers of spirit into something the world can feel. Connect with Lauren: Website: laurenmonroe.com Instagram: @laurenmonroelive YouTube: @laurenmonroechannel

When Dr. Greg Eckel followed the Grateful Dead at 17, he didn't know the trail would lead him through psychedelic awakenings, preschool classrooms, devastating personal loss, and regenerative medicine. In this episode, we get into it all. Dr. Greg and I dive into bioenergetics, whales and soul contracts, protein misfolding, and the radical idea that your brain can regenerate even after trauma. If you've ever lost someone, if you're facing your own healing, or if you're simply wondering how to reimagine the future of health, this one is a transmission.   Connect with Dr. Greg: Website: brainregen.com Instagram: @drgreckel YouTube: @Energy4LifeCenters Website: energy4lifecenters.com

What happens when the human body breaks, but the soul breaks open?   In this soul-stretching episode, I sit down with Kimberly Meredith, a medical intuitive and trance channeler whose life changed after two near-death experiences. From hospital trauma to healing with her hands, Kimberly's journey is a story of divine interruption, spiritual downloads, and surrender to a path she never saw coming. We dive deep into what it means to live in 5D consciousness, the strange beauty of surrender, and the healing power of unseen forces. Connect with Meredith: Website: thehealingtrilogy.com Instagram: @meredith.kimberly Radio Show: The Medical Intuitive Miracle Show YouTube: @kimberlymeredithchannelsth7152 TikTok: @kimberlymeredith11